John Hiatt

John Hiatt (born August 20, 1952) is an American musician with a growing following, who gets airplay on alternative radio stations. He has played a variety of styles, including New Wave, rock and roll, blues and country. Though he has achieved modest mainstream fame as a performing and recording artist since he debuted as a solo artist in 1974, Hiatt's songs have been covered by Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Nick Lowe, the Neville Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Three Dog Night, Dr. Feelgood, Bonnie Raitt, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, B. B. King with Eric Clapton, Paula Abdul, and Mandy Moore. His first album to chart at all was Bring the Family (1987). He continues to gain fame as a respected songwriter and performer into the present.

Career

John Hiatt started his musical career in Indianapolis, Indiana as a teenager. He played in a variety of local clubs, most notably the Hummingbird. Hiatt played with a variety of bands, one of which was The Four Fifths. Hiatt moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he got a job as a songwriter for the Tree-Music Publishing Company. Hiatt, who was unable to read or write scores, had to record all 250 songs he wrote for the company. Hiatt wrote the song, Sure As I'm Sitting Here, which performed by Three Dog Night rose to number 16 on the Billboard chart. Hiatt meanwhile began playing with a band, White Ducks, which recorded an album, In Season, in 1972. Hiatt performed with both the White Ducks, and solo in a variety of clubs around Nashville. Hiatt met Don Ellis of Epic Records in 1973, and received a record deal, releasing his first single We Make Spirt later that year. In 1974 Hiatt released Hangin' Around the Observatory, which was a critical success and a commercial failure. A year later Overcoats was released, and when it failed to sell, Epic dropped Hiatt. Hiatt would suffer a similar fate with his next two labels, both MCA Records and Geffen Records dropped him. While working with Geffen, Hiatt received some praise however, he had been called "the American Elvis Costello" by some. Hiatt even recorded a duet with Costello, a cover of the Spinners' song, Living A Little, Laughing A Little, which appeared on Warming Up to the Ice Age. Hiatt finally came into success in 1987, when he released his first big hit, Bring the Family. For the album Hiatt had a backing band consisting of Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe, and Jim Keltner. Shortly after its release, Bob Dylan covered Hiatt's song, The Usual which had appeared on "Warming Up to the Ice Age.

Discography

• Hangin' Around the Observatory, Epic Records, 1974.
• Overcoats, Epic Records, 1975.
• Slug Line, MCA Records, 1979.

1. You Used To Kiss The Girls
2. The Negroes Were Dancing
3. Slug Line
4. Madonna Road
5. (No More) Dancin' In The Street
6. Long Night
7. The Night That Kenny Died
8. Radio Girl
9. You're My Love Interest
10. Take Off You're Uniform
11. Sharon's Got A Drugstore
12. Washable Ink

• Two Bit Monsters, MCA Records, 1980.

1. Back To Normal
2. Down In Front
3. I Spy (For The F.B.I.)
4. Pink Bedroom
5. Good Girl, Bad World
6. Face The Nation
7. Cop Party
8. Back To The War
9. It Hasn't Happened Yet
10. String Pull Job
11. New Numbers

• All of a Sudden, Geffen Records, 1982.
• Riding With the King, Geffen Records, 1983.
• Warming Up to the Ice Age, Geffen Records, 1985.

1. The Usual
2. The Crush
3. When We Ran
4. She Said The Same Things To Me
5. Living A Little, Laughing A Little
6. Zero House
7. Warming Up To The Ice Age
8. I'm A Real Man
9. Number One Honest Game
10. I Got A Gun

• Bring the Family, A&M Records, 1987.
• Slow Turning, A&M Records, 1988.
• Y'all Caught?, (compilation 1979-1985), Geffen Records, 1989.
• Stolen Moments, A&M Records, 1990.

1. Real Fine Love
2. Seven Little Indians
3. Child Of The Wild Blue Yonder
4. Back Of My Mind
5. Stolen Moments
6. Bring Back Your Love To Me
7. The Rest Of The Dream
8. Thirty Years Of Tears
9. Rock Back Billy
10. Listening To Old Voices
11. Through Your Hands
12. One Kiss

• Perfectly Good Guitar, A&M Records, 1993.

1. Something Wild
2. Straight Outta Time
3. Perfectly Good Guitar
4. Buffalo River Home
5. Angel
6. Blue Telescope
7. Cross My Fingers
8. Old Habits Are Hard To Break
9. The Wreck Of a Barbie Ferrari
10. When You Hold Me Tight
11. Permanent Hurt
12. Loving A Hurricane

• Hiatt Comes Alive at Buddokan A&M Records, 1994.
• Walk On, Capitol Records, 1995.
• Little Head, Capitol Records, 1997.

1. Little Head
2. Pirate Radio
3. My Sweet Girl
4. Feelin' Again
5. Graduated
6. Sure Pinocchio
7. Runaway
8. Woman Sawed In Half
9. Far As We Go
10. After All This Time

• Crossing Muddy Waters, Vanguard Records, 2000.

1. Lincoln Town
2. Crossing Muddy Waters
3. What Do We Do Now
4. Only The Song Survives
5. Lift Up Every Stone
6. Take It Down
7. Gone
8. Take It Back
9. Mr. Stanley
10. God's Golden Eyes
11. Before I Go

• The Tiki Bar is Open, Vanguard Records, 2001.
• Beneath This Gruff Exterior, New West Records, 2003.
• It'll Come to You: The Songs of John Hiatt (compilation of cover versions of John Hiatt songs), Vanguard Records, 2003.

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